Whatever mystic perfections can be achieved by good birth, herbs, austerities and mantras can all be achieved by devotional service to Me; indeed, one cannot achieve the actual perfection of yoga by any other means.

Purport:

By taking birth as a demigod one is automatically endowed with many mystic perfections. Simply by birth on Siddhaloka one automatically acquires all of the eight principal perfections of yoga. Similarly, by birth as a fish one becomes invulnerable to water, by birth as a bird one gets the mystic perfection of flying, and by birth as a ghost one gets the mystic perfection of disappearing and entering into the bodies of others. Patañjali Muni states that the mystic perfections of yoga can be achieved by birth, herbs, austerities and mantras. The Lord states, however, that such perfections are ultimately a waste of time and an impediment to achieving the actual perfection of yoga, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Those who give up the process of bhakti-yoga and shop around for other objects of meditation besides Kṛṣṇa are certainly not very intelligent. Those who claim to be yogīs but pursue the satisfaction of their own senses are certainly kuyogīs, or bhogi-yogīs. Such kuyogīs cannot understand that just as they have tiny senses, the Absolute Truth has absolute senses, nor can they understand that yoga is actually meant to satisfy the absolute senses of the Lord. Therefore, persons who give up the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa in order to pursue so-called happiness in mystic perfection will undoubtedly be frustrated in their attempt. By meditating exclusively on the Supreme Personality of Godhead one can achieve yoga-gati, the ultimate goal of yoga, which means living on Lord Kṛṣṇa’s planet and there enjoying spiritual opulences.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna ConsciousnessContent used with permission of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. www.Krishna.com All rights reserved.This is a site of the North American Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies and the Bhaktivedanta Archives.